Calif. is first state to ban lead ammo for hunting

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law a bill that will make California the first state to ban lead bullets for all types of hunting.

The Democratic governor says in a signing message Friday that lead ammunition poses a threat to wildlife. He says the bill protects hunters by allowing the ban to be lifted if the federal government ever prohibits non-lead ammo.

Opponents of AB711 argued that non-lead ammunition is more expensive and could be banned federally because it is technically considered to be armor-piercing.

Supporters of the new law say the use of lead bullets also endangers humans who eat game killed with the ammunition.

Democratic Assemblyman Anthony Rendon of Lakewood says the ban makes sense because lead has already been prohibited in paint, gasoline and toys.